9.25.2008

in case you're wondering what's happenned to ms.swellspring. . . . the stork came to visit a month early. . . . .alesia marie was born on september 22 at 2:10 am ~ 5 lbs 11 oz and 18" long. both mama & baby are very happy and healthy. thanks to everyone for all your stunning kindness & support through this momentous life changing event.

9.19.2008

suddenly it feels like the seasons are starting to shift. september is a glorious month of harvest and learning and shifting gears. and with so much bounty to look forward to this fall i'm welcoming the new season with open arms. i collected some inspiration for this time of year from all around our fabulous internet to share with you {please click on collage to enlarge} . . . . . . a feather mobile made by caitlin keegan, an old timey kitchen found on for the love of country, a red bicycle bag made by kate durkin, the wandering waif outfit made {& given away for free} by grosgrain, some pretty books photographed by kay loves vintage, handmade honey bee soap by amethyst soap, gorgeous handmade pottery by christiane perrochon, a collection of bird cards from bird vs bird, peep toe pumps by prada, and a fall inspired photo by shining egg.hope y'all have a sanguine september weekend!

9.18.2008

if you've been a studio wellspring reader for a while you'll know i have this thing for barns turned in to homes. whenever i see one i get weak in the knees. it's a long time dream of mine {we're talking i've been drawing up floor plans on graph paper since 6th grade} to use modern interior design in a vintage barn. so it's always incredibly inspiring to see what others have done with similar dreams ~ to see how ingenius their concept is, or to imagine how i'd do things differently. lately i've stumbled across several great resources for aquiring & moving barns, renovating barns & decorating in barn-house style.

first off, the barn pages ~ it lists more than 200 barns for sale, which are priced according to condition. most of the barns need to be moved from the land they're on ~ which is just fine, since often barns are located in an out-of-the-way place without easy access to utilities & such. so you can buy a barn and have it disassembled and shipped to a more desired location, where it can be put back together again. or you can just use the barn timber to build something new. it's a fantastic recycling concept, isn't it?

for help with the restoration and reassembly of barns, check out the barn people in vermont, berkshire barns in massachusetts, and the new jersey barn company. they've all been dismantling, restoring and reassembling vintage barns for over twenty-five years. even if your favorite barn isn't in the north east, they would still be great resources for any project location.

for lots of lovely barn related decor items & furnishings, the barn house blog is a lovely place to visit.

and to take part in a blogger's project of turning a barn into a modern home, check out bare hill barn ~ it's fascinating.lastly, some eye candy from the barn pages:

9.16.2008

besides the ever popular & beautiful use of bamboo for flooring, many designers have found other lovely ways to utilize the versatility of this material. whether you're looking for exotic one-of-a-kind furnishings, an asian-island motif, or chic contemporary style, bamboo can shine in any setting. just take a look at some of the fantastic finds i've gathered. . . . .

{ok, a bit wild, but definitely will be an eye-catching and noteworthy piece on the patio or sun porch ~ the yoda sectional sofa from janus et cie}

{seascape woven bamboo pendant found at velocity is simple, soft & entirely lovely ~ it almost has a mid-century modern feel to it}

{this elegant venetian bamboo leg table from wisteria is both chic and refined}

9.12.2008

beatrice peltre is the author of the award-winning food blog la tartine gourmand and she works as a freelance food writer, food stylist and food photographer. she has a fantastic eye for making beautiful images and her passion for her work is evident in her myriad successes. i adore her work and find it incredibly inspiring.

in her own words "as a photographer and stylist, i am a fond observer of the beauty found in life, nature and the natural shapes of food. my work witnesses my attachment and interest in art under all forms." and her talent is instantly addicting ~ the more i see of her work the more i want to see.

i have a dear friend who is going through some serious soul searching to decide what course she wants her life to take next. she's been a school teacher for many years now but the lack of funding, growing restrictions & tensions, and lack of support from parents & administrators alike has taken its toll and yet another fantastic public school teacher in california is ready to call it quits. but what to do instead? where to turn? one must make a living. . . . . but how can that be done while also adoring what you do?

i think the answer lies within beatrice peltre's fine example. she loves art, she loves to travel, she loves photography, she loves food, and she loves sharing beauty. plus she's so gosh darn talented she can't help herself but to be admired. hmmm. . . . that sounds familiar. this perfectly describes my teacher, soul-searching friend. to a t. and we can all learn something from this actually ~ let's feel encouraged to pursue our passions and not give up trying to earn a decent living while we do so. it is possible. if beatrice can then so can you.

9.11.2008

for everyone who lost something precious on this day 7 years ago. . . . . honoring, loving, remembering. . . . with still hearts of gratitude for what once was.

but let us not just move on and learn nothing from such horrific tragedy. this is a great lesson in how to accept impermanence, embrace each other, practice forgiveness, understand our connectedness and seek truth genuinely. nothing can happen to you that doesn't also happen to me. nothing can be done to me that isn't also done to you. in the words of a wise man "we are our brother's keepers. we are our sister's keepers."

i keep you in my heart and mind as warming memories and as reminders for how to live in the moment with more compassion and more understanding each day.

9.10.2008

the sf chronicle has nicely listed all the home tours available this fall for those of us living in the bay area, so i thought it might inspire some of us {i.e. yours truly} to go to some this year if i posted about it here too. there are a lot of compelling options with different themes. . . . from historical victorians to ultra modern homes with living roofs ~ something for nearly every house voyeur taste.

and the best part is the tours are benefitting worthy causes such as children’s enrichment programs, architectural preservation, and families in need.

p.s. i'm also counting down the days until the cas opening {17 to be exact} ~ oooh, so much anticipation for the spectaculars within! for those who don't know: the california academy of sciences is the only place in the world with an aquarium, a planetarium and a natural history museum all under one roof. and the best part is: it's a platinum-level leed certified architectural & design marvel. talk about instant adoration, before i've even stepped foot inside!

9.09.2008

my friend, tom, sent over a link to a wonderful concept company that's still in its beta form ~ spoonflower. thanks to a group of inspired folks in chapel hill, north carolina, spoonflower is an answer to a huge void in the crafter-designer-artist market: giving us all the ability to design and make our very own fabric. yes! for a reasonable price you can have your very own designs printed onto fabric. how wonderful is that?!? all you have to do is create a design, make it into a tif file, and send it off to spoonflower to print onto 44" 100% kona® cotton fabric {a 2nd choice of fabric will be available soon}.

from their website: "spoonflower exists to give crafters a powerful tool for expressing their creative visions using fabric. it gives individuals the power to print their own designs on fabric that they can then use to make quilts, clothes, pillows, blankets, framed textile art and many, many other things that might surprise you."they have a nice little blogand a great flickr group.

i snagged some of my favorite projects from their flickr group to share with & inspire you here:

9.05.2008

today i'm flying up to oregon to attend a baby shower given to the peach & me by my wonderful family & friends. needless to say, i'm giddy with excitement! this morning it dawned on me that this is my last flight without a child to come along with me. {i'm only flying one way because we are road tripping back to sf with the antique cradle & changing table my dad so lovingly restored for the peach}. and that thought led to the intense realization that soon almost everything i do and everywhere i go will be with another tiny human being as my companion. i have really been enjoying pregnancy and have had the distinct feeling it's so much easier being pregnant with the lil' one all taken care of easily inside my tummy, than to have the baby on the outside with all her needs requiring a whole new set of skills from me. i'm not quite sure if i'll be up to the task. it's the biggest challenge i've faced so far. by far. but i have a lot of wise and generous people around me to learn from ~ my own mom of course, but also my sister, my aunts, my cousins, and several of my friends have all become mothers. and i know with their advice and love we'll be in very good hands on this new adventure. i am looking very forward to sitting on my parent's porch, sipping a cool beverage, and basking in the joy of so many family members and old friends gathered together to celebrate this brand new life who's rapidly approaching her big debut. ahh, these are the days, my friends. . . . .i hope you have a joyful & love-filled weekend too!{top & bottom portraits of me taken by the extremely talented femme fotographie. please go here to see more, & to find out how you can be the star of her photographic talents too}

9.04.2008

today i'm celebrating my dear friend maggie ~ all gorgeous 6 feet of her! i celebrate her & our friendship more than she knows, but seeing as how today is her birthday and all, it deserves an extra special mention that she is a continual source of reasons to celebrate. her enthusiasm and beauty are so invigorating and her ability to listen and be supportive are so encouraging. she lights up rooms, brightens up lives, and illuminates the humorous in everything. i am so grateful for her friendship and can't wait to see what wonderful things the coming year will bring her. happy maggilicious day ~ she'd be so happy to know you did a little dance, played extra with your favorite pet, & hugged several people you care about today just because it's magilicious day. xo, maggie love!

9.03.2008

i'm so excited to share this with you!a large apartment remodel & redesign project that i was fortunate enough to work on has come to completion, and the project manager has sent over some nice site photos. this is the icing on the cake of a lot of hard work from a lot of talented people. there's really nothing like the satisfaction of seeing a project complete and the clients happily moving in.

this project had a lot of special challenges. . . . . for one, our design office is in san francisco and the project is at central park west in new york. so there was a lot of back-&-forth travel for our team & the clients. another massive challenge is depicted here:

many of the client's art pieces were too large to fit into the building's freight elevator so we had to close off streets, bring in a crane, remove the outer windows of the living room, and lift the art pieces all the way up to the apartment. i'm so glad our project manager was there with camera in hand so we could all share in the marvel of it.

here are a few more of my favorite shots:

{main hallway ~ highlighting the zebra wood floors found throughout the apartment}

{the living room and the grand curving staircase}

{the game table with the piano in the background}

{the den/study with red acrylic backed niches and shelving}

{the kitchen ~ this in particular was my baby of the project. lots of detailing went into it, which can't be seen from a photo, but i suppose that's the mark of good design right? :o) }

a budding designer

sharing passions and inspirations {dance & design mostly, but also some of my favorite things that add value to my life} ~ blogging is an exchange that i've learned to appreciate very much, so i hope you'll share along with me.